Always Loved
by nine miles to go
Summary: Mrs. Weasley must explain the impossible: Love. SEVERE SPOILERS FOR DEATHLY HALLOWS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.


Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

**WARNING. SEVERE SPOILERS CONCERING HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. **

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Always Loved 

As soon as Teddy was old enough, he asked his mother who the people on the picture beside his bed were. Not that he was complaining; he rather liked the pair of them. They both appeared slightly weary, but happy nonetheless, their fingers intertwined and their gazes loving. One was a man in a heavy coat, whose face looked kind and soft. The other was a woman, who seemed electric, her bright smile the highlight of the photograph.

"Mommy, who are they?" Teddy asked, settling himself beside his mother on the couch.

The red-headed woman bit her lip. "Oh, Teddy, I've told you before."

Teddy shook his head. Maybe she had, but he could not remember. He set the frame in her lap insistently, waiting for an answer.

The woman sighed, drawing him close. "Teddy . . . you know your father and I love you more than you could ever imagine," she began.

"And Harry, too," Teddy reminded her. Teddy smiled, thinking of his beloved godfather, who had just recently married Ginny. The wedding day had been delightful. They had asked Teddy to be their ring-bearer, a duty which he accepted with all of the somberness and honor a four-year-old could muster. It was nice, to have his older sister and godfather so happy together.

"Yes." His mother smiled down at him, but there was something strained in that smile. Teddy quieted to hear what her next words were. "Of course Harry, too. But Teddy, do you remember me telling you that even we love you so much, that we are . . . we are not your real parents?"

"Yeah," said Teddy. "I remember. That's why I don't have red hair, like everyone else. That's why my last name isn't Weasley."

"That's right. Teddy, you must know that you are our son, no matter what happens. We love you just as much as Ginny or Ron or any of the other boys. But the picture by your bed . . . they are your real parents, Teddy."

Teddy looked back at the picture, considering this. He looked at the picture with a new scrutiny that he hadn't before practiced on it. "My . . . real parents?"

There were tears in his mother's eyes. Teddy felt bad for making her cry, but he wanted an explanation even so. "They are the people who gave birth to you, Teddy. Their names were Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. See there? Your mother was carrying you in her belly then . . ."

"Nymphadora?" Teddy frowned. "I'm not sure I like that name."

His mother laughed outright. "Neither did she."

Teddy was glad he and this Nymphadora had agreed on something. "But they're dead," he said softly, picking the photo up from his mother's lap. He touched the man's face, but Remus just kept on smiling, his hand still holding his wife's as if it would never let go. It was strange for Teddy to think that they did not exist in this world anymore.

"How did it happen?" he asked. Now he was remembering. His mother had told all of this to him before; she had explained to him that they were his real parents, that Teddy was more loved than he could know, that his parents had been great people and he should love them even if they were dead. He had forgotten, though, until his mother had repeated herself. Now he wanted to know what had made his parents leave.

"Well," his mother began, her voice quiet and solemn, "the year you were born, Teddy, there was a group of very evil people trying to take control of the wizarding world. They called themselves Death Eaters, and their leader . . . well, we call him You-Know-Who."

"Why?" asked Teddy, frowning. "What was his name?"

His mother shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Your godfather destroyed him, but of course you already know that from Ron telling you, don't you?" She sighed. "There was a great war, Teddy, and we all fought in it. Everyone in the family."

"Even 'Mione and Ginny?"

"Especially Hermione and Ginny," his mother confirmed. "It all came down to one night, when it was all of the Death Eaters versus all of us. We all were fighting for good, Teddy—your parents were the bravest among us, and we were all trying to fight the evil off to protect the good in this world. So our futures could be full and bright and happy." There were tears rolling down her cheeks. "Even though they were brilliant with magic, your mother and father, they had to make a sacrifice for that future. They died, defending the world we live in today."

Teddy didn't know why she was crying. Wasn't that a good thing? "I'm glad that they were good," he said, trying to console her. Maybe she still missed them. Teddy could not miss them himself, having not known them.

She nodded. "They would have liked for you to know that."

Later that night as Harry put him to bed, Teddy yawned and told his godfather sleepily, "It's alright if my parents aren't alive, Harry. I'm still happy."

Harry smiled sadly at him, running an affectionate hand through his hair. It promptly turned a vibrant, happy blue at his touch, but everyone in the house had grown quite used to this by now. "You know that they still love you, even if they're gone," he assured Teddy. He placed his hand on Teddy's heart. "They'll always be with you."

Teddy nodded. "But . . . I have you and Mommy and Daddy. That means I have three people to love me, not just two. So I have more than any of the other kids, don't I?"

The little boy closed his eyes, his hair fading back into its usual brown as he fell asleep. In the darkness there was not a soul to perceive the lone, bittersweet tear traveling down Harry Potter's face as he stared at his godson, who he loved more than anything else in the world. For a fleeting moment he could hear Tonks's happy laugh, see Lupin's gentle smile, and he imagined them looking proudly at their small son along with Harry.

"Didn't you know, Teddy? You always had our love."

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Fini.


End file.
